debilitate

de·bil·i·tate

Use debilitate in a sentence

verb

To debilitate is defined as to weaken, make ill or destroy.

When an illness wears you down and makes you ill, this is an example of a time when the illness debilitates.

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MLA Style

"debilitate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Debilitate>.

APA Style

debilitate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Debilitate

debilitate

transitive verb

-·tat·ed, -·tat·ing

to make weak or feeble; enervate

Origin of debilitate

from Classical Latin debilitatus, past participle of debilitare, to weaken from debilis, weak, not strong from de- (see de-) + derived, derivative of Indo-European base an unverified form bel-, strong from source Classical Greek belteros, better

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"debilitate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Debilitate>.

APA Style

debilitate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Debilitate

debilitate

transitive verb

de·bil·i·tat·ed, de·bil·i·tat·ing, de·bil·i·tates

To sap the strength or energy of; enervate.

Origin of debilitate

Latin dēbilitāre dēbilitāt- from dēbilis weak ; see bel- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

de·bil′i·ta′tion
noun

de·bil′i·ta′tive
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"debilitate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Debilitate>.

APA Style

debilitate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Debilitate

Verb

(third-person singular simple present debilitates, present participle debilitating, simple past and past participle debilitated)

To make feeble; to weaken.
The American Dream suffered a debilitating effect after the subprime crisis.

Origin

Latin debilitatus, past participle of debilitare (“to weaken, debilitate”), from the adjective debilis (“weak”), from de- + habilis (“able”).

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